Budae Jjigae Recipes

BUDAE JJIGAE (ARMY STEW)

Steps:

• Cut the ingredients into bite size pieces, and arrange them in a medium size shallow pot. Mix all the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl.
• Add the broth, and stir in the seasoning.
• Cook over medium high heat until the bacon is cooked through and the kimchi has softened. Add the optional ramyeon noodles and more broth or water if necessary. (The noodles soak up a lot of the liquid, so I briefly cook the ramyeon noodles in a separate pot of water before adding to the stew.)

BUDAE JJIGAE (KOREAN ARMY BASE STEW)

Steps:

• Divide luncheon meat into 2 piles on either side of a stock pot. Layer sausage, onion, and kimchi on top, leaving an empty space in the center of the pot.
• Mix red pepper powder, soy sauce, gochujang, garlic, and black pepper together in a small bowl; pour into the center of the pot. Sprinkle in green onion. Pour in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer stew, stirring occasionally, until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil; add ramen noodles. Cook and stir until partially cooked and softened, about 2 minutes. Drain; stir into stew. Cook and stir until ramen noodles are tender but firm to the bite, about 5 minutes. Top stew with American cheese.

BUDAE-JJIGAE (ARMY BASE STEW)

Steps:

• Combine the water, anchovies, mushrooms, and kelp in a large pot. Cover and cook for 25 minutes over medium high heat. Add the pork and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Take out the anchovies, kelp and mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms into bite size pieces. Strain the mixture of the stock and the pork into a large bowl. Put the pork into a small bowl. You will get about 6 cups of stock. Stir in the salt until dissolved.
• Combine the seasoning paste ingredients - garlic, hot pepper paste, hot pepper flakes, soy sauce, sugar, and water in a bowl. Mix well.
• Put the cabbage, onion, green onion, pork, and the mushrooms, on the bottom of the pot. Add the kimchi, and the seasoning paste over top. Add the spam, sausage, rice cake, tofu, baked beans, and cheese. Add the ramyeon and the sweet potato starch noodles. Put radish sprouts on top and add 3 cups of stock.
• Cook over medium high heat. Korean style is to cook at the table with a portable burner. Friends and family will be sitting around the pot, talking and laughing, and maybe drinking. You can take a bit of cooked sausage or the meat with your chopsticks as you wait for the broth to boil and the noodles to soften. If you don't have a tabletop burner, you can cook it on the stove away from the table. When it starts boiling about 10 minutes later, stir and turn the ingredients over with tongs to cook evenly.

CAMPING-STYLE BUDAE JJIGAE

Steps:

• For the budae jjigae sauce: Combine the gochujang, kimchi brine, doenjang, gochugaru, garlic powder, onion powder, mirin, fish sauce, guk-ganjang, white pepper and garlic in a medium bowl and mix with a spoon until combined. Set aside. (If making a day ahead, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until using.)
• For the toppings: Prepare a campfire and let it burn so there are plenty of hot coals to cook over.
• To assemble, arrange the kimchi, bacon, onion, leek and budae jjigae sauce in separate sections over the bottom of a 6-quart cast-iron camp Dutch oven. Shingle the tofu, Spam and hot dog slices in sections over the first layer. Carefully pour in 7 cups of water. Cover the pot and place in the coals.
• Bring to a boil and cook, skimming off any foam and fat with a spoon, if needed, until the broth turns vibrant and thick from the sauce, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add 1/2 cup more water at a time, if needed. (It should be fairly salty since the starches added next might dilute the flavor.)
• Add the ramen and tteok, cover and cook until the ramen is tender and the tteok are soft and chewy in the center, 4 to 5 minutes, laying the mozzarella slices over the ramen during the last minute of cooking. Remove from the heat. Top with the scallions or chiles, if using, and serve with steamed rice.

BUDAE JJIGAE (KOREAN ARMY STEW)

Steps:

• For the sauce: Put the gochugaru, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, mirin, sesame oil, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• For the broth: Put the dried anchovies, garlic, daikon, kombu, onion and 2 quarts water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Strain into a bowl or saucepan and discard the solids.
• For the toppings: Arrange the Spam, cocktail sausages, bacon, tofu, tteok, pork and beans, kimchi and sliced onion in a large, low-sided skillet. Add the sauce to the middle of the pot; don't stir. Heat on high heat for 5 minutes. Add enough broth to cover all the ingredients (you may not use all the broth), bring to a boil and boil on high heat for 5 minutes. Mix the sauce gently into the broth so it is well incorporated. Lower to medium heat and add the remaining broth. Simmer for 10 more minutes, then add the ramen and cook until the noodles are just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and top with mozzarella, scallions and watercress. Serve with steamed rice.